UK transfers Storm Shadow missile tech to Ukraine as Kremlin threatens retaliation; 10 POWs return via Belarus

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham marked his first foreign visit since taking office by arriving in Kyiv on 24 August, Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, and announcing the transfer of secret technology for the production of long-range Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. The Kremlin immediately condemned the move as escalation and claimed its forces are already identifying and targeting production sites inside Ukraine.

Burnham, who took office in July, used the anniversary to underscore Britain’s commitment. “My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century, you hold that flame in the 21st,” he said in a speech at St Sophia Cathedral, comparing Ukraine’s struggle to Britain’s stand during the Second World War (The Guardian).

The technology transfer, which Burnham confirmed London had approved following a request from Kyiv, will allow Ukraine and France to establish local assembly lines for the Storm Shadow/SCALP missile (Ukrainska Pravda). The missile, which carries a larger payload than the long-range drones Ukraine has relied on, has been used since 2023 to strike Russian naval vessels and command centres. The decision comes as Ukraine has exhausted its supply of US-made Patriot interceptors capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia fires nightly at Kyiv and other cities (The Guardian).

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the announcement “extremely negatively” and accused London of doing everything possible “to prevent any progress at all in the peace settlement process”. Peskov claimed the Russian military is “carrying out the relevant work, obtaining the relevant data to identify the production sites of such missiles and other military equipment, and taking measures to destroy the relevant facilities” (Ukrainska Pravda).

When asked about the Kremlin’s accusation that the UK is “adding fuel to the flames”, Burnham replied: “Who started the fire? That’s the question, isn’t it?” (Ukrainska Pravda).

Prisoner swap brings 10 soldiers home

On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had brought back 10 soldiers previously listed as missing in action through a special stage of a prisoner exchange conducted via Belarus. The fighters served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard and fought on the Donetsk front. “All of them had been considered missing in action. And it is very important that we managed to bring them back,” Zelenskyy said (Ukrainska Pravda). The swap follows an exchange on 19 August that saw 103 Ukrainian service members return from Russian captivity (Ukrainska Pravda).

Russian strikes kill two, wound 16 on Independence Day

Russian forces carried out multiple strikes across Ukrainian territory on 24 August. In Kharkiv Oblast, a Tornado-S multiple-launch rocket system hit the city of Izium, killing a 46-year-old man and wounding nine people, including a 13-year-old girl. Separate drone strikes on two petrol stations in Kharkiv city injured two people (Ukrainska Pravda).

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a strike on Pavlohrad killed one person and injured two others (Ukrainska Pravda). Attacks on the Nikopol district injured five people, one of whom was hospitalised, and damaged a school, an office building and a multi-storey residential block (Ukrainska Pravda).

Coalition of the Willing to meet again in September

Following a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Kyiv on 24 August, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had asked partners “not to take breaks between our meetings” at such a “challenging time” and to convene again in September. The meeting secured pledges of military and energy aid packages from international partners, with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announcing a new aid package for Ukraine (Ukrainska Pravda).

European Council President António Costa, also in Kyiv for the anniversary, said Ukraine “has already helped to build a new, truly geopolitical European Union” that takes responsibility for its own defence and is ready to welcome Ukraine as a member state (Ukrainska Pravda).